How listening to Frank Sinatra, Punjabi folk music helped Vedang Raina prep for his Main Vaapas Aaunga role | Exclusive

Vedang Raina stars alongside Sharvari, Diljit Dosanjh, and Naseeruddin Shah in Imtiaz Ali's period romantic drama, Main Vaapas Aaunga.

In what has been a very brief acting career, Vedang Raina has attempted to be diverse with his roles. He played an Anglo-Indian teen in his debut, Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, following it up with a young Indian on death row in a foreign nation in Vasan Bala’s Jigra. His next, Main Vaapas Aaunga, sees him play a youngster from rural Punjab in pre-Partition times. In a chat with Hindustan Times, Vedang opens up on the character and his preparation for it.

Vedang Raina in a still from Imtiaz Ali's Main Vaapas Aaunga.

Vedang Raina on Main Vaapas Aaunga

Main Vaapas Aaunga is a love story set in two timelines. Vedang and Sharvari play a young couple separated by the Partition. Talking about playing someone from a different era, he says, “There was a bit more reserve (in people of that time). The character is farthest from who I am, as a person, in many ways. That was already exciting enough for me.”

The preparation for playing someone from the 1940s was interesting for Vedang. He relied on music to get into his character's psyche. “I do this thing where I have a playlist for every character I play. What I found the most exciting about this was finding music from that time. So I did a lot of research on music actually heard during the 40s, specifically 1946-47, when the film is set. This is a world I didn’t think of. When I think of the Partition, I don’t think of the Western influences, but of course, they must be there. The British were still there, after all,” he tells us.

In fact, Sharvari, his co-star in the film, adds that they realised during the preparation that they both follow this method. “We discovered we both do it during the recce, and we discussed a lot of music,” says the actor.

What did that playlist comprise, then? With a smile, Vedang reveals: “A lot of jazz, one really old song of early Frank Sinatra that I’d never heard, and some of the more local Punjabi folk stuff.”

Another thing that helped Vedang get a sense of what the world was like back then was artificial intelligence. The actor adds, “Now, you have AI to get you access to information. I used that to find out what the weather was like in July 1947. Why would I not make use of such a good tool if it helps me understand the world of my character?”

All about Main Vaapas Aaunga

Main Vaapas Aaunga stars Diljit Dosanjh and Naseeruddin Shah alongside Vedang and Sharvari. The film, directed by Imtiaz Ali, tells the story of two lovers who face their toughest test during the Partition. It will release in theatres on June 12.